Play Things
by RenaRoo
Summary: After school, Colin decides to hang out with his best friend. Of course, it turns out that he's not the only one dropping in.


red-dye-number-five prompted: Chris, Damian, and Colin do kid stuff.

I'm done with AU week (I guess?) so I'm going back now and getting to the various fluff prompts that I didn't get to the first time around 8D

Batman, Superman, and related characters © DC Comics  
story © RenaRoo

 **Play Things**

The after school bus takes him straight to fifth street. This gets him less than a block from St. Aden's Orphanage, but if he sits at the bench for five minutes, he'll be able to catch the 3:15 bus that cuts across the city to take him to the Chelsea Tunnel.

He'll be back to the East End on the 9:30, but until then he has the blessings of Sister Annie to visit with the Orphanage's favorite benefactor.

Or, to the benefactor's youngest child, Colin supposes. He really just prefers to call Damian Wayne his friend.

Sometimes he wonders if Damian feels the same.

The bus exchanges are quick, something a boy from the city is rather used to. And the bus card Mr. Wayne gave him for his birthday this year makes travel even faster when he doesn't have to fish through his pockets for change.

As always, the longest part of getting to Wayne Manor is the walk between the last bus stop in Bristol and the front gates to the Manor itself. But Colin doesn't really mind.

Bristol is a gorgeous neighborhood. He sometimes thinks that the buildings and houses' bricks cost more than the entire orphanage. Their gardens are gorgeous, too. He often stops and admires the newest landscaping additions until one of the gardeners or the owners of the house themselves take notice of him and stare with sturdy frowns at him.

That's usually when Colin smiles and returns, with a little more haste, to his walk.

It's not as if any of the surrounding neighborhood can compare to Damian's house anyway. He's not even sure why he bothers.

Usually, it's almost four by the time Colin makes it to the gate and pushes the buzzer to let Alfred know he's here. Titus greets him halfway up the walk from the pavement and it's all slobbery kisses and gentle gnawing.

"As always, Master Wilkes, you _can_ request a pick-up," Alfred says, holding the door open.

"I like the trip," Colin insists, not daring to remind everyone of the fact that Mr. Wayne himself has paid for a lifetime of transport for him. "Is Damian back from school?"

Their normal routine - of "play dates" so to speak - involves Damian already waiting impatiently in the foyer on him. As of today, Robin is nowhere in sight.

"He is running slightly behind. Business with… associates of his," Alfred says carefully, helping take Colin's jacket off and then neatly hanging it over his own arm. "I am sure you understand he would not be late if it was not an immediate emergency."

"Oh, yeah totally," Colin says in return, feeling his smile spread. It's all code. Code for _Robin._

For a moment, Colin entertains the idea of asking whether or not Abuse is needed - because Robin _always_ has backup when he needs it and Colin's not in school - but he's not sure what the code for that question is. It stumps him for a moment too long.

Alfred has a twinkle in his eye, part of the reason Colin's always liked him, and he starts to make his way toward the kitchen.

"Until Master Damian's return, may I interest you in an after school snack?"

Colin feels his body pep up as he skips a few steps to keep up with the family butler. "You _sure can!_ I mean… uh, yessir! Please! Thank you?"

Alfred's snacks are always healthy, which Colin doesn't mind because Alfred's _also_ super understanding and only does his funny mustache-thing when Colin asks for ranch dressing to use on his carrots and celery sticks rather than mocks him.

That's Damian's job.

There's only two carrots left on the plate when Colin, kicks out his feet and looks toward the kitchen door to see Damian entering primly. He's wearing his private school uniform, but his tie is not on _nearly_ as straight as how Colin knows Damian keeps it, and there's a smudge of dirt on his face that looks like it might be bruising.

And the shape of a boot.

"There is nothing to be gained from indulging fatty foods, Colin," Damian says, a snarl on his lips as he looks at the carrot smothered in ranch.

"Hi to you, too!" Colin responds cheekily. He holds out the other carrot which is mostly free of Damian's apparent least favorite condiment.

Damian pushes the offered hand away and slides into island seat next to Colin. "I apologize. I had… after school work."

"I know, Alfred told me," Colin responds, snapping the carrot between his teeth.

For a moment, Damian judges Colin's face, as if discerning how much the butler actually said, then he sighs and begins to continue freeing his tie.

"I don't think tonight would be the best night to exert ourselves _physically_ that much," Damian says, frowning as Titus, alerted to his presence, comes bumbling into the kitchen. "Perhaps… video games?"

Colin grins toothily. "I love video games!" Which is true.

He only gets to play them at Damian's.

"Hey!" there's suddenly a call from the halls, causing Titus to leap and begin sprinting toward the door where, in a blink, a brown haired bow leans in. "Sorry, I had to stop home real quick and change-"

The boy blinks, staring back at Colin and Damian. Colin blinks back. Damian looks slightly perturbed, uncharacteristically glancing back and forth between the newly appeared boy and Colin.

"Oh, uh, hey!" the boy says, a slight wave of his hands just before Titus leaps into him… only to fall to the ground with barely a nudge to the boy. "Ah! Sorry, boy," the brunette apologizes, dropping to the ground to ruffle Titus' head.

"Kent! Why are you here!?" Damian snaps, getting out of his chair. "I _just_ saw you."

"That's not even remotely true," the boy responds, looking concerned. "It's been a few minutes."

"Uh," Colin interjects.

"I have company today," Damian hisses with an exaggerated wave toward Colin.

Feeling more than a little awkward, Colin waves back.

The Kent boy doesn't seem very phased by Damian's rapidly losing cool and instead gets on his feet. He promptly makes his way to the island and holds out his hand toward Colin. "Hi! My name's Christopher. Everyone calls me Chris."

Colin takes his hand. "Hey, cool. I'm Colin Wilkes. Uh… it's just Colin. I don't know any nicknames for it."

Chris' smile grows a bit. "I bet I could think up some. Papa Clark and Mama Lois say I've absolutely advanced my awesome alliteration. For just learning English, I guess."

"You know another language?" Colin says, impressed.

"French," Damian interrupts Chris before nudging himself between them. "Kent, go home. I'll meet with you for the next- … club meeting. Okay? Colin came all the way here to hang out and I will not be inhospitable to him. Else Pennyworth will be upset."

Crossing his arms and cocking his head, Chris turned his head slightly. "What, so you'll be inhospitable to me?"

"We can all hang out," Colin offers. "Chris seems cool."

That lights up the brunette's face. "Really?"

"We don't have to," Damian mutters. "I can be friends to both of you. Separately. It is already a functioning system."

"We can all be friends, though, Damian," Colin presses. "We'll just take turns with the controller."

"Oh, I _love_ video games!" Chris coos as Colin walks past Damian and leads the way toward the game room.

Damian says something but, somewhat fortunately, Colin thinks it's in a language neither he nor Chris knows.

Colin realizes, fairly quickly, that the tournament fighting challenge isn't going to go much in Chris' favor. The boy might _love_ video games, but he certainly plays them with the skills of a sloth.

Damian's exasperation is only accented by how quickly he kills Chris' character each time they match up.

But the other boy doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he seems even _more_ amused by the prospect of being the worst video game fighter Colin has ever seen.

"I'm _so_ bad at this!" Chris says, almost elated.

"The worst," Damian huffs after throwing the controller to Chris again after Colin wins.

"You can get better," Colin offers.

The real question, of course, is whether or not Chris wants to. Because he seems to almost be smiling knowingly at the very suggestion.

"So," Colin begins an attempt at conversation, "do you guys know each other from school?"

"Yes."

"No."

Damian and Chris look at each other - or, well, Damian _leers_ but Chris shrugs before continuing his losing streak with the tournament fighter. Damian lets out an animalistic groan before shifting on the couch to look at Colin more directly.

"There is a weekend school in New York," Damian explains. "It's rather useless and joyless. You wouldn't be interested, believe me. It's filled with moronic idealists and pandering nobodies like Kent."

"Harsh," Chris says, laugh in his voice. "We're actually all awesome. It's just that Damian is a butt pain."

 _"Pain in the butt, Kent!"_ Damian corrects with a rough rub of his face.

"It actually sounds pretty cool," Colin admits. "Are you visiting from New York? That seems like a long drive for playing video games."

"I'm actually from Metropolis," Chris says with a shrug which gets him a kick in the shoulder from Damian. The brunette doesn't even flinch. "What?"

Colin tilts his head. Metropolis is even _farther_ from Gotham.

About that time, the game room doors open and Timothy Drake-Wayne sticks his head in. Colin perks up, feeling his grin widen. In the corner of his eye, he sees Chris having much the same reaction.

"You're interrupting us, Drake!" Damian immediately snaps, turning around on the couch to glare at his brother directly. "Leave this instance! Before your mediocrity rubs off on what few tolerable people I know."

Tim just looks at him like he's a zit before walking the rest of the way in. "Damian, where's my X-Box?"

Colin glances to the system they are currently using.

"Mind your own business, Drake. We're too busy to entertain you."

"Hey, Tim!" Chris says excitedly, jumping up. "I've been working on my flips. Do you want to see?"

Tim smirks at Chris before looking to Colin, then back. "Maybe not right now, buddy. But if you could tell me where - " he stops and stares at the system. _"Seriously,_ Damian? We own at _least_ twelve game systems and you have to take mine? It's my night off!"

"You convinced Father we only needed one," Damian says snidely. "You said we were fully capable of sharing. That it would be a _learning experience_ for us."

"I said for you!" Tim grinds out. "I said getting you your own X-Box just because you didn't want to ask me for permission to use mine was a bad idea. _I didn't mean for you to avoid asking altogether."_

"Would you have said 'no' to my friends and I if I had asked tonight?" Damian asks.

Tim's face grow more red the more flustered he gets. "No - that' snot the point - _you didn't ask_ -"

"I avoided wasting your time with a conversation that would go nowhere," Damian says haughtily, "A curtesy you are not currently extending to us."

Shutting his mouth so fast it pops, Tim glares at Damian. "You're lucky you have company over, you little brat."

"Bite me," Damian says in a voice that Colin recognizes from _someone_ he's met at the Manor before but only once or twice, he can't put his finger on it.

Throwing up his hands, Tim leaves, slamming the game room door behind him.

"Child," Damian huffs, settling back in his seat.

"Bye, Tim!" Chris calls. "Oh, hey! I lost again!"

It's nine and Colin and Damian both are looking to the clock, aware of the bus schedule. Neither bother to say anything because Chris is in the middle of a fairly fun story about the dairy cow on his grandparents' farm.

Colin's going to have to leave soon. He opens his mouth to say as much when Chris goes stock still.

The boy's wide blue eyes blink once. Twice. He turns his head toward the wall and looks slightly panicked.

"Chris?" Colin begins, reaching out to the boy. "You okay?"

"I hear Mama Lois," Chris says, slight pout. I might be in trouble."

Cocking his head to the side, Colin is about to question this when Damian quickly raises from his chair and begins lifting Chris up, pushing him toward the door.

"You either hear well or you know your mother, Kent - hearing her all the way from the drive," Damian says, scooting Chris toward the door. "Better get walking so your mother can take you home. _In a car_ for transport. Yes?"

"Uh," Chris says before nodding. "Yeah?"

Colin smirks at the sight.

Chris' eyes fall on Colin and he waves. "Bye, Colin! It was awesome to meet you - we should hang out more! It's lots of fun!"

"Definitely!" Colin responds as Damian gets Chris out of the room and shuts the door. "You're not going to see him out?"

Damian gives him a _look._ "There is a level of inhospitality that Pennyworth expects from me at the end of the day."

"Oh, okay," Colin responds, pulling his knees up to his chest. "That makes sense, I guess. But if I were you, I definitely would be nicer to Superboy."


End file.
